Hood catch



Jan. 30, 1934. R. G. MOORE HOOD CATCH Filed Dec. 18 1931 sus Patented Jan. 30, 1934 UNITED STATES HOOD CATCH Raymond G. Moore, Bridgeport, Conn., assigner to The Bassick Company, Bridgeport, Conn., a corporation `of Connecticut Application December 18, 1931 Serial No. 581,804

- solaims. ((01.292-48) The present invention relates to improvements in hood catches, and has for an object to provide a device of this character in which a single operating handle is provided exteriorly of the 5. hood for actuating rock-shaft means interiorly of the hood, and which engage keeper means at a plurality of spaced points nteriorly of the hood.

It is particularly proposed to provide an improved operating means between the operating handle,

A10. which rotates upon an axis'perpendicular to the hood, and the crank means of the rock shaft catch means, and to this end I provide a longitudinally movable slide to which the handle crank is pivotally connected. It is further prol5l posed to provide such slidemeans in the form of an equalizing coupling between a plurality of differentially movable crank shaft catch means, and the mounting of the related parts of the mechanism are compensated for and equalized so that' ILA the hood will be held uniformly at all points.A A still further object is to provide a hood catch which will effectually hold the hood downwardly and inwardly.

With the above and other objects in view an l embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, and this embodiment will be hereinafter more fully described with reference theretmand the invention will be finally pointed out in the claims.

In the drawing: w y

Fig. 1 is a horizontal sectional view through the hood and frame, Vand showing the catch in plan, the same being in its operative position.

Fig. 2 is an interior elevation in operative position. l

Fig. 3 is an interior elevation showingthe inoperative position of the catch..

Fig.p,4 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 4 4 of Fig. 2.

Similar reference characters indicate correspending parts throughout the several figures of the drawing. ,Y

Referring to the drawing, the automobile hood 10 is adapted to close in the usual manner against 45.the lacings 1l and 12 of the radiator frame 13 and cowl portion 14 of the'chassis.

Upon the inner face of the hood, and preferably at a central point between the hood ends,

there is riveted, or otherwise suitably secured,

a bracket plate 15 having a pressed up circular boss 16 provided with a central aperture 17 in alignment with anaperture 18 inthe hood. A

shouldered lcylindrical bearingV bushing 19 is se-r cured within the aperture 17, as by swagingover,

as at 20, and projects into the opening 18 inthe hood, so that it is slightly outside of the hood surface, toy form a suitable bearing for the rotary operating handle, presently to be described. The boss is preferably dished, as at 21 in surrounding' relation to the aperture 17. A 60 The handle 22 is provided with a reduced diam eter shank 23 which is journaled in thevbushing 19, and at its inner end is provided with a threaded hole 24 and wedge shaped lugs 25-25 at each side thereof, and upon which the crank arm 26 of the crank pin 27 is engaged, vbeing prof vided for this purpose with a beveled-edge rectangular opening 28, which engages the lugs with a tight wedge fit. A headed screw 29 is engaged inA the threaded'hole 24 and secures the' 70T crank arm in tight non-rotatable relation to thev handlel shank 23, vand at the same time retains the handle in the bearing. f Y

A pair of rock shafts 30 and 31 are providedA upon thev interior of the hood extending at each side of the bracket plate y15, being journaled near their inner ends in bearing brackets 32 and 33, preferably curled from the bracket plate 15, and journaled near their outer ends in bearingl brackets 34 and 35 secured interiorly to the hood. 80 The rockA shafts are bent at their inner end extremities to provide offset crank ends 3,6 and 37, preferably vdisposed parallel to the rock shaft and at their outer extremities are bent to provide U,- shape offset crank ends 38 and 39,l the offset of 85 these crank ends being vrelatively greater than that of the crank ends 36 and 37 and also being angularly offset with respect to said crank ends 36and37. c' A The crank ends 36 and 37 are loosely and 90 rotatably engaged in the cylindrical socket ends 40 and 41 of a longitudinally slidable coupling slide vmember 42, the crankends being of such length and the sockets of such depth that the coupling member may slide upon the crank ends in either direction4 without becoming disengaged therefrom. A l

vvCentrally of the slide member there is provided a transverse cylindrical passage 43, in which the crank pin 27 is rotatably andV slidably engaged, 100 the central portion'surrounding said opening being preferably enlarged, as at 44. The pin 27 engages the passage 43 with a slight clearance, so that the coupling slide member may have a limited universal movement to compensate for irregularities, as will hereafter more fully appear. vThrough rotationofthe handle rotation is imparted'to the rock shafts, the coupling slide member movingr longitudinally of the'cr'ank ends 36 and 37, as the crank pin'27 moves through its arc. In 110 the operative position indicated in Fig. 2 the crank pin is slightly beyond its high position, and as the rock shafts are under tension in this position the parts will be yieldably held in operative position. Abutment of the end of the slide member with the bend of the crank end 37 limits the rotation of the handle in the inoperative posi.- tion, indicated in Fig. 3.

The crank ends 38 and 39 of the respective rock shafts 30 and 31 are adapted to engage angular keeper brackets 45 and 46, suitably'mounted on the radiator frame and cowl, or upon any other' convenient part of the chassis in proximity to the hood ends. These brackets are illustrated as formed of sheet metal and their engaging faces, which are preferably disposed at an angle of about 45, are respectively provided with'pressed out rounded ribs 47 and 48 for engagement. by the rounded crank ends, this arrangementy providing positive rm engagement, irrespective of variations in the mounting and disposition of the parts.

The crank shafts are formed of a suitable spring metal so that the crank ends 38 and 39 may be sprung to a different angular relation to the crank ends 36 and 37 under the torsion and tensional effect of the rock shafts. As above pointed out the crank ends 36 and 37 loosely engage the socket ends of the coupling member, so that they not only rotate therein but may have a differential movement, in which case the coupling member assumes a non-parallel position.

The operation is as follows:

As shown in Fig. 3 the hood catch is in its inoperative or released position, the crank ends 38 and 39 in this case depending so that they clear the keeper brackets as the hood is closed against the lacings. As the handle 22 is swung from the position shown in Fig. 3 to that shown in Figs. 1, 2 and4 the coupling slide member swingsupwardly and slides rst to the left and then tothe.

right along the crank ends 36 and 47 through the pressure of the crank pin 27, thus turning the rock-shafts.v This movement first brings the crank ends 38 and 39 under and into engagement with theY keeper brackets, whereupon they are sprung under tension as the movement of the handle is completed and the crank pin 27 passes over the high point or dead center, where it is yieldably held under the tension of the crank shafts. The-dot-and-dash lines, Fig. 4, indicates the untensioned angular position of the crank ends 38 andr39 with respectto the crank ends 36. and 37.

In the event that any irreguarity in the hood, or in the mounting of the keeper brackets, or in the. independently formed rock-shafts, causes one of the crank ends to be engaged-before theother the loose connection of the rock shafts and theV crank pin with the coupling slide member is such that tension will not be applied to this crank end until the other crank end Vengages it keeper bracket, whereupon tension will be applied equallyto'the twovcrank ends irrespective of such irregularity and the hood will be held with the same pressure at one end as at the other.

I have illustrated and described a preferred and satisfactoryy embodiment of the invention, but it will beobvious that changes may be made therein, within the spirit and scope thereof, as defined inV the appended claims.

Having thus describedl my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

1. In a hood fastener structure for engaging. a plurality of spaced keeper elements, independently movable structurally sepa-rate'rock-shaft.

means for engaging said respective keeper elements under tension, operating crank means slidable longitudinally of said rock shaft means, and means adapted to swing and slide said slidable operating means to move said rock shaft means into andV out of operative position.

2. In a hood fastener structure for engaging, a plurality ofv spaced keeper elements, independently Vmovable structurally separate rock-shaft means for engaging said respective keeper elements under tension, operating crank means slidable longitudinally of said rock shaft means, and crank means rotatableupon an axis perpendicular to the hood and adapted to swing and slide said. slidable operating means to move said rock shaft means into and out of operative position.

3.*In. a hood fastener structure for engaging, aplurality of spaced keeper elements, a plurality of independently movable structurally separate rock-shaft means for engaging said respective keeper elements under tension, coupling means for operating said plurality of said rock-shaft means and slidable longitudinally thereof, and means adapted' to swing and slide said slidable coupling means to move said rock shaft means into and out of operativel position.

4. In a hood fastener structure for engaging, a

plurality of spaced keeper elements, a plurality of independently movablel structurally 4separate rock-shaft means for engaging said respective keeper elements under tension, coupling means for operating said plurality of said rock-shaftk means and slidable longitudinally thereof, and crank means rotatable upon an axis perpendicular to the hood and adapted to swing and slide slid-v able coupling means to move said rock shaft means into and outV of operative position.

5. In a hood fastener structure for engaging a plurality of spaced keeperelements, a plurality of independently movable structurally separable rock-shaft means for engaging saidrespective. keeper elements under tension, coupling means for operating said plurality of rock-shaftmeans slidable longitudinally thereof and loosely connected thereto to permit differential movement, and means rotatable adapted. to swing andslideV said coupling means to move said rock shaft means.v into and out of operative position..

6. In a hood fastener structure for engaging al plurality of spaced keeper elements,. a. plurality of independently rotatable structurally separate keeper engaging means for engaging. saidrespective keeper elements under tension, longitudinally slidable crank means rotatably connected to said keeper engaging means, and operating means. rotatably engaging, said crank means and'v adapted to be rotated to rotate and slide saidv crank means to move said keeper engaging means into andk out of operative position.

7. In a hoodv fastener structure: for engaging a plurality of spaced keeper elements, a plurality` of independently movable structurally separate rock-shafts including means at their outer ends for engaging said respective keeper elements unof independently. movable:v structurally separate rock-shafts including means at their outer ends for engaging said respective keeper elements under tension and opposed and spaced offset crank end portions at their inner ends, coupling means for operating said plurality of said rook-shafts and slidably engaging said crank ends and adapted to have sliding movement longitudinally there- 

